The Estonian Embassy invites literature enthusiasts to attend Hungarian-language readings during Literature Night in Debrecen, where Estonian literature will be represented by Kairi Look.
Organized for the eleventh time by EUNIC Hungary (the Hungarian cluster of the EU National Institutes for Culture), Literature Night features 25 participating countries. The aim of the event is to draw attention to the diversity of world literature by filling urban spaces with public readings. Over the course of the three-day programme, actors will
perform excerpts from works by mostly European authors at nine different locations — in a church, an art museum, a historic library, or the courtyard of the former town hall. The readings will be repeated every half hour, allowing visitors to create their own route and enjoy the excerpts in whichever order they choose while walking between venues.
The short story “Relapse,” featured at Literature Night, is the first work by the beloved children’s author intended for adults; it was published in the literary magazine Looming and immediately won its annual award in the prose category. The story’s protagonist, who is recovering from a failed relationship, buys himself a tiger in the hope of finding a loyal friend. But the striped animal’s intense need for closeness causes increasing discomfort… Kairi Look wittily describes the mechanisms of a manipulative relationship, the illusion of a fresh start, and the difficulties of breaking free from the past. The short story was also published in German in the anthology “Zeitstücke: Neue Nordische Novellen VII” (Snapshots: New Nordic Novellas VII, 2021).
Kairi Look’s literary career began in 2012 with children’s books, of which she has now written ten; several have been translated into numerous languages. Since 2017, she has also been writing for adults. Her first novel, “Tantsi tolm põrandast” (Dance the Dust Off the Floor), was published in 2025 and received a warm reception from both readers
and critics. It quickly became a bestseller and earned its author the title of “Author of the Year.” Look has also written an alphabet book and Estonian language textbooks for school use, and she translates Dutch fiction into Estonian.
Readings of “Relapse” will take place on 29 May from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in the courtyard of the Cultural Center DEMKI Belvárosi Alkotóműhely, performed by Zsófia Wesselyi, an actress at the Csokonai National Theatre in Debrecen.